The CDRC principles of international health research

The Comprehensive Drug Research Center (CDRC) at the University of Miami was established in the early 1970s. Through the decades, investigators from the CDRC have worked with investigators from several countries to establish joint research efforts. Countries often do not have the infrastructure or monetary resources to carry out research on their own. Collaborating with institutions in these countries to build a sustainable capacity for research is a worthwhile and satisfying endeavor, and it presents a method for initiating research and building the necessary research structures. However, working with other countries presents a unique set of challenges and ethical dilemmas. This article presents some of the specific challenges encountered in these research efforts and describes what we have done to resolve the problems and work more effectively and efficiently with foreign investigators.